NBA Week 16 in review

A review of the key storylines happening around the NBA and how it will affect teams into the future.

Oddschecker

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Sat, 3 Feb, 5:24 PM

Blake Griffin heading to Mo-Town

In what looks to be the trade of the season, the Clippers have traded marquee player and walking Kia advertisement, Blake Griffin to the Detroit Pistons. Griffin fetched the Clippers Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, a first and a second round pick in return. Not a bad haul given the mediocrity the Clippers were stuck in.

The Clippers in my eyes are attempting to put themselves in the running to make a grab at LeBron should he decide to want to leave Cleveland.

The Clippers have finally realised the Griffin experiment wasn't what they had expected it to be. A career marred by injuries and rumours he lacked the true leadership qualities of a superstar. Griffin was also said to be a sub-par teammate, which dented his reputation slightly.

This is a healthy restart for Griffin in a Pistons team who likes to play old school outside in basketball, which works well for big men in the post. If Griffin can own the post presence along with Drummond, the Pistons could have the next best frontcourt tandem after the Pelicans.

This big trade could have big implications with the Cavs only 6 games ahead of the Pistons. Detroit is holding value if you think this experiment will work.

Tip: Central Division - Detroit Pistons

Nikola to NOLA

Nikola Mirotic to the Pelicans looked to have fallen through. The Pelicans fully expect to make the playoff push and believe the answer is pairing Mirotic in the frontcourt with Davis.

Retaining Mirotic will also ensure that the Pelicans have some added insurance should Cousins decide to leave in Free Agency in the offseason.

The deal almost fell through due to the Pelicans being unsure of what their salary cap situation would look like next season. Mirotic wanted the Pelicans to exercise the team option of 12.5m on his contract, which was a key issue in why the trade was held up in the first place.

If you think this is the trade that puts the Pelicans over their opposition, value is there to be found now as the Pelicans are fetching a tidy $101 with Bet365.

Tip: Southwest Division - New Orleans Pelicans

Best Bet: Dallas Mavericks @ Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers will still be reeling from the significant loss that Blake Griffin poses to the team.

The Mavericks come to town who always being it against the Clippers given DeAndre Jordan's reversal on signing with them in the preseason. The line makers will certainly have the game priced with the Clippers the better team given their bigger names.

Traditionally the Mavericks are built to blow teams out. Two of their last three wins have ben blow over 10 points so it's highly unlikely this will happen again.